


Our Souls Etched in Ice

by Megane



Category: Brontide, The Tempest Series - T. D. Cloud
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canon Non-Binary Character, Character Study, Coaches, Complicated Relationships, Dom/sub Undertones, Hobbies, Ice Skating, Love/Hate, M/M, Multi, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polygamy, Possessive Behavior, Rating May Change, Tags May Change, Video Channels, figure skating
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-09-21 05:35:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9533963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megane/pseuds/Megane
Summary: Corbet… needed a new hobby; he needed something challenging that would hold his interest. He wasn't sure what came over him to choose ice skating of all things. But in this frozen world of practice and elegance, he discovers something new. And it all starts with Coach Avenir.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I came up with this idea when I went ice skating for my birthday. I'm not sure when I'll be able to continue this, _but_ I have a few chapters written already. Just be sure to stay tuned, alright~?

Corbet didn’t feel good about this at all. He was far too aware of his right skate. The boot pressed painfully above his inner ankle and was tight on the outside of his foot. Whenever he shifted his weight to it, his foot wobbled before steadying. Different levels of anxiety built up in his stomach, creating a warm, weighted stone that counteracted against the chilly interior of the rink. His gaze was focused downward and ahead of him, wanting to see all obstacles that came his way.

He was away from the wall now– and that was an accomplishment. Today, he had been skating for about twenty minutes; in all, he had been at this for three days. With each day, though, he only skated for about two to three hours, depending on his coach’s schedule. Every time he stepped out on the ice for the first time, there was that thread of fear that coiled up inside of his body. Every– damn– time.

He had progressed rather quickly though. Today, he only stayed on the wall for about five minutes, and now, he was about two feet away, skating with immeasurable fear that he was going to hit the floor. He skated with his arms out and was glad he was one of two people on the ice right now. He gave a steady breath and straightened himself up. But then, he felt his blade go over a chunk of ice. His whole body wobbled forward, and Corbet clenched his abs tight to keep himself from falling. His hands immediately curled into fists, and Corbet grit his teeth for the upteenth time. He let out a breath in a hard exhale. 

The sound of someone skating up behind him (and _fast_ ) made his fight-or-flight instincts scream _Flight!_ all at once. He tightened up and glanced over his shoulder to see Avenir skating nonchalantly towards him. They swung around his body, legs spread and toes pointed outward before coming to a stop. Their hands were arms were folded over their chest; their face was neutral and expressionless. Corbet looked at them for a split second before glancing down to his feet as he came to a slow stop half a foot in front of them.

     “Stand up straight, child– shoulders back and relaxed.”

_I’m not that much younger than you_ , Corbet wanted to say, but looking at Avenir, it was near impossible to tell their age. They looked like they were in their early twenties, but the way they spoke, walked, and acted belied a mindset more mature. Corbet did as he was told; his arms came down at his sides just a few inches, but his hands were still balled tight into fists. He felt himself wobble and gave a shocked huff in response. Avenir unfolded their arms and held their hands out for him. Corbet immediately latched onto them. His hands gripped just below their elbows over the toned muscle of their forearm, which was covered by a thin, grey long sleeved shirt. 

He felt no shame in his quick motions. As he braced his weight forward onto their arms, he hoped that this would be enough to drag them down with him if he fell. Avenir watched Corbet for a moment before they bent their right leg, touching the toe pick against the ice.

     “Look at me, Corbet,” they said to him. Underneath the dryness of their voice, Corbet could still hear the faintest touch of exasperation that was ever present in their tone.

     “Not easy,” Corbet replied quickly, staring now at Avenir’s boots.

They were solid grey with white laces and matching blades. The monotony of them was fitting against the contained expanse of scratched white ice. He stared at them, saw how the right foot was poised higher than the left, show how confidently Avenir stood in spite of him purposefully (and anxiously) bearing his weight down on them. The sight made Corbet press his lips together. Taking in a deep breath, he slowly looked up to Avenir’s face. They stared at each other for silent seconds, and without warning, Avenir pushed off with their right foot and began skating backwards.

It was a slow and steady pace. Corbet defiantly kept his gaze on his coach’s face— it was more defiance against himself and his sudden fear than it was against Avenir. He did glance down and saw how Avenir’s left foot swept behind their right, poised there as the two of them curved around the edge of the rink. Just as Corbet started to look up, his right skate wobbled again. He dug his gloved nails into Avenir’s arms. When he looked up at them again, there was a small smirk set on their lips.

He narrowed his eyes at them and felt tempted to just shove away from them and handle skating on his own. But considering how much money he was spending a week on these sessions, he had no choice but to deal with their silent sass. At least for now. He’d be a lot bolder if he wasn’t wearing a nice pair of knife boots on his feet.

Avenir gave Corbet a once over, the smirk disappearing as they assessed him. They unfolded their legs and gave another push with their boot again. They glanced over their shoulder as they skated around. Corbet glanced to the left. They were both going to pass the gate he originally stepped through in a few moments. Looking back to Avenir, they gave a little sigh and started instructing him as to how to hold himself more confidently. Confidence wasn’t usually an issue for Corbet; it wasn’t really something he ever really thought about. He knew himself; he was very certain about the things he could do. But, that was  _away_ from the ice. Here with Avenir, he was a newborn calf. His legs were weak and useless and walking, let alone gliding, was a dangerous and foreign concept to him.

But with each stutter and shake, Avenir held him dutifully. They waited a beat between shakes before instructing him again. Corbet swore softly under his breath; the French cutting through the air over the slow scratch of their boots. Avenir drew backwards slowly, keeping their hands loosely around Corbet’s wrists while he held them tightly in return. He stared up at them glaring daggers at them to not leave him. Avenir cocked their head and jerked their hands downward, forcibly making him let go. Corbet gaped and reached out for them. Avenir gave another small push and put some distance between them.

     “Come here,” they said. Their voice floated on the chilled air.

Corbet took calming breaths through his parted lips. He moved his hands to his sides and lowered them slightly. His fingers curled and uncurled. He looked down to Avenir’s chest, focusing there instead of on their intense, impassive face as he moved forward. One slide and then another. One smooth and the other shaky, making him jerk again as he glided towards them. He reached out to grab their biceps, and Avenir bent to the side. They pinched Corbet’s jeans between their fingers and gave a tug. Corbet lifted his right leg slightly.

     “Is your skate on properly?”

     “It is,” Corbet hissed. “I haven’t had a chance to buy a pair for myself yet.”

Avenir hummed and pat the side of his leg, signaling for him to lower it down.

     “Do you wish to continue then?” 

Corbet gave it a moment’s thought. In that time, he heard another sound slice through the air. He turned his head to the right and saw a redheaded skater come onto the ice near them. This man didn’t pay them any mind at first. He lifted up his left foot as he opened out his arms at his sides. When he brought his leg down, he touched it against the back of his right boot and folded his hands gracefully over his neck. Corbet watched, moved by the confidence he saw before him. He looked up to Avenir and was amazed by the greater degree of detachment he saw in their features. There was an edge in their hooded gaze. Their lips tilted down just the slightest bit as they so nearly glared at the other skater. The redhead lowered his hands to his sides, eyes falling closed as he curved around and stopped once he was facing them.

He opened his eyes, and then a smile came to his face. Avenir made a noise as the redhead came closer, but Corbet noticed that the skater wasn’t focused on them. 

Only _him_.

     “You’re here again, I see,” the skater said as he took on the pose Avenir had taken earlier.

With legs spread and toes pointed outward, he curved around the duo. Corbet turned his head to watch the redhead just in time to see Avenir roll their eyes. The skater came back around, this time backwards. He placed his hands behind his back as he stopped next to Corbet. He looked down to Corbet and then up to Avenir. His smile curved ever so slightly, and Corbet noticed that there was a hidden edge there as well, like a knife hidden in silk.

     “Avenir,” the redhead purred. “It still surprises me you have the patience to be a coach.”

     “It amazes _me_ you have the capability to tie your own shoelaces,” Avenir quipped in their refined tone. 

Then, Avenir pulled Corbet closer to them. They came to stand side-by-side with him and placed a hand on his lower back as they glided away. The dismissal was so calm and absolute, but there was something that came across as… almost territorial as Avenir _pressed_  where their hand laid. Corbet wrapped an arm around their back as well, hooking a hand nervously on their hip. Avenir moved slowly, and Corbet looked down to mimic the movement of their skates. Lifting his head, he felt this was easy. Mimicking came more naturally than following instructions. Corbet didn’t look too deeply as to what it could say about his character. 

     “It’s rude to go away without saying good-bye,” said the redhead skater as he caught up with them. He twisted around to glide backwards. His attention and that needling smile were set full on Avenir.

     Avenir’s entire body sighed when they spoke, “It’d be foolish to wish you good-bye when you won’t leave and when we share the same rink, Ruari.”

Ruari… It was a name that Corbet wasn’t used to here, even on this side of town. It had a classic touch to it, and even when the name came out as an exasperated breath, it had a magical tone to it.

     Ruari gave a little chuckle. “Got me there,” he said ever so flirtatiously.

Ruari then looked to Corbet and gave a little wink before turning and pushing away from them. Corbet watched him go and then refocused on his coach as they stopped near the further gate. They placed their hand on the wall and touched the heel of their right blade to the ice.

     “Come and sit down,” they said. “We will help you figure this out. If you need a new boot, it’s best to sort it now before we continue on with your lesson.” Avenir turned their head towards the left, looking behind him.

Corbet nodded his head, grateful for the break. He heard a sharp _whoosh_  and looked over just in time to see Ruari catch himself after a double Lutz. Ruari kicked out his right leg, smiling at an unseen audience. Avenir huffed, obviously unimpressed with what they saw.

     “Your form is sloppy, Ruari,” they said louder this time as Corbet carefully stepped onto the mats.

     “Perhaps you should coach _me_ next time. I’d appreciate the one-on-one.”

Avenir began after Corbet and then stopped to twist back towards Ruari. Corbet looked up at his coach. He missed whatever look they shot at Ruari, but he placed the back of his hand against his forehead. Ruari arched his back, stretched out his right foot, and curved around away from the duo. Finally, Avenir shook their head and guided Corbet over to the bench. Corbet bent down to undo his right boot as Avenir moved a chair in front of him. 

In the silence of the rink, Corbet could still hear Ruari enthusiastically skating on the ice. There was that sharp sigh into the air and then the sound of landing— another jump? Corbet wished he could have seen it. He lifted himself up and handed the boot over to Avenir for them to examine. The drab ochre material complimented the dark tone of Avenir’s skin. In spite of the rental skate being a little battered, it seemed like a precious item in Avenir’s hands. They pulled at the tongue of the boot, loosening the laces as they did. They gestured for Corbet to set his foot between their legs, and he did so silently.

Avenir’s palm cupped against his calf as they fitted the boot back onto his foot. In some small way, he felt like a child being helped into his first pair of big boy trainers, but he let the comment slide. Instead, he said,

     “What do you have against him?”

     “Ruari?” Avenir asked, sounding bored already with the subject. “It is complicated with him– he is a pest. But worry not, he will not interfere with our lessons.” Avenir sat back and began twisting the laces through the empty hooks lining the front of Corbet’s boots. “On pain of death.”

Corbet would have found the statement dramatic, but this was Avenir. They sounded as if they meant it. 

     “That’s a little extreme, isn’t it?” he mumbled.

     “You will learn in time how he is and you will react the same.”

He doubted it, but he didn’t say as much. Corbet turned his head towards the ice and saw Ruari playing out a routine. Was it someone else’s? Maybe it was his own? Corbet hissed in a breath as Avenir tightened the laces. 

     “How does this feel?”

     “Painful– more or less the same.”

     “Of course.” They twisted back towards the front desk. No one was there at the moment, and Avenir faced Corbet once again. “Buy your own boots.”

     “I will,” he snapped defensively. “I keep forgetting.”

     “Do not forget next time,” Avenir stated plainly. It wasn’t a suggestion. “It makes no sense to continually deal with these skates.” They gestured towards the boots with a degree of distate.

Corbet rolled his eyes and gave a shrug. He wasn’t going to make any promises. Avenir stared at him before closing their eyes and letting out a patient sigh through their nose. They stood up shortly after and headed to the front desk. Corbet watched and then stood up as well, but he headed to the plastic protective pane to watch Ruari skate. Ruari was moving freely, somewhat lost in his own little world. He reached up to the air, flicking his hand and lowering it down gracefully as if he was stroking down the back of a lover. He then closed his eyes and brought the side of his curled fingers to his lips. Ruari spun around to his right. His eyes were opened as he faced Corbet. His expression lifted from sorrowful to charming in a second. Corbet watched as the warmth bled into Ruari’s features.

He heard the soft clank of skates, and Avenir came beside him. They held a new boot in their hand; using the other, they signed something at Ruari, who responded by crossing his wrists, tapping them together, and then reaching up to tug on his right earlobe as he turned away. Avenir hummed, the sound disapproving but not as derisive as their earlier tone had been. Avenir looked to Corbet and gestured the boot towards him.

     “Try this,” they said.

     “Okay.” Corbet ducked down to switch the skates out.

He loosened the tight but untied laces and soon slipped off his right boot. As he switched to the new one, he glanced up to Avenir. They watched Ruari with a perfect posture. Their arms were crossed over their chest, and their expression was neutral. They raised their right hand to sign something else at the redhead before lowering it back down again. Corbet felt a little amused. If there was bad blood between them, they still managed to communicate with each other silently. Hm, maybe it was complicated.

He stood up once the new boot was secured. His right foot felt strange, new, like it hadn’t been his own to begin with. The sudden contrast was a little off-putting, and he said as much to Avenir.

     “You’ll adjust,” they said off handedly. “We’ll build up to where we left off Thursday, so you can get used to this one.”

It was Corbet’s turn to hum. He walked over to the front desk to return the boot before he came to his coach’s left side. He placed his hands on either side of the gate, watching Ruari twist and turn effortlessly. Now, he just needed to get out there. Corbet leaned his head back, stared at the ceiling, and sighed loudly, cheeks puffing slightly.

     “Okay,” he said as he stepped onto the ice. “I’m ready."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updating because things seem to be going in a beautiful direction. Something wonderful and new has happened today, so here ya go.

Corbet huffed as he caught himself when falling. He wasn’t sure how he had done it. It was like a work of magic. He was bent almost completely in half. His gloved hands swayed dangerously in front of his body, but somehow, _somehow_ , he managed not to fall.

In-fucking-credible.

     “Oh my god,” Corbet huffed as he straightened up with a snap.

The irony went uncommented in the air, flowing behind him as he glided forward. Another day, another ab-clenching session under Avenir’s care. Speaking of, the coach skated towards Corbet, slapping their hand against his lower back as they raced past. 

     “Correct your posture,” they said off handedly, legs crossed and form perfect as they maneuvered by him.

Avenir uncurled their leg and swung it to their side, going into a single-footed glide before lowering their blade back onto the ice. They turned sharply, and the ice hissed in retaliation. Avenir watched as Corbet tensely made his way towards them. At this point, he could at least stand up straight, and he was getting a handle on how to hold his weight. The only thing that freaked him out was speed. Going too fast in one direction and feeling his weight wobble always made some unnamed muscle knot up tight inside of him. He still wasn’t used to the toe picks. Shifting his feet forward made him nervous, but Avenir promised they would work on it. Corbet dreaded the lesson.

     “You use the side of your feet too much when you skate,” Avenir said, looking down at Corbet’s feet as he came closer. “If you do that, you will slide more. It is a bad habit for you to fall into so early on, especially since you won’t let yourself fall.”

     “I’ll let myself fall,” Corbet said, but the minute he did, he knew it was a lie.

He would have fought gravity itself it if meant he didn’t topple over. He had taken many spills before. Hell, he even dropped out of a tree once, but there was something unknown and awful about falling on ice. Something about the chilly touch of ice against his skin seemed ominous to him. Maybe it was because he hadn’t fallen yet– he had many fearful close calls, and that just made things seem worse. Then, there was the thought of falling poorly and somehow getting the skates involved. He hissed in a breath and shook his head slowly. Maybe he was psyching himself out. He was almost _certainly_ psyching himself out, but this was just unfamiliar territory to him. It made him more nervous than he needed to be.

He jumped when he felt a hand glide over his shoulders. Avenir pressed the palms of their hands against his shoulder blades, their thumbs fixed on either side of his spine. The initial touch made him tense up, but as Avenir rubbed their thumbs in slow circles, he relaxed under their hold. When he did, Avenir pulled their hands down the length of his back. They curled their fingers; their delicate knuckles worked down the curve of Corbet’s back. He felt himself straight up the further down their hands went. Avenir placed their hands on his hips. Corbet felt Avenir against his back, and for a second, he forgot how to skate again.

     “Go forward,” they said absently. Their voice was so close, warm and even.

Corbet nodded his head and began forward under their guidance. He gasped softly when he felt his body sway, but Avenir gave a squeeze of his hips, keeping him from falling forward. 

     “Stay straight,” they instructed. “Do not worry.”

     “Okay,” Corbet sighed. He licked his chapped lips.

Unlike yesterday, there was music playing over the speaker system this time. It was a soft instrumental; sorrow melded in with every note. It was beautiful and reached deep into Corbet as he skated. For a moment, Corbet gained an unknown confidence. He imagined himself to be a seasoned skater alone on the rink. The lights around him were dim, and the music encouraged every pretty, dramatic sweep of his legs. He sighed through his nose, finding peace in this private fantasy. He felt Avenir’s hand slide around across his stomach. The warmth of their body left his back, and their palm was a weight against his front. Corbet blinked. Suddenly, he was aware of where he was. He almost slowed down, but Avenir shook their head.

     “Keep moving,” they said almost softly.

Easy enough. Corbet leaned himself into their palm and allowed himself to move with that mindless ease he achieved just moments ago. Avenir let him move of his own free will, sometimes piping up to instruct him on how to move. On the whole, his mind was allowed peaceful intervals of fantasy: him on the rink on his own, gliding and twisting gracefully as Ruari had. He wanted to be achieve that. He wanted to move just like the other more experienced skaters did. He just wasn’t interested in going pro; he had no delusions that he ever would. For him, ice skating was merely a hobby, a sweet sanctuary for him to get away from his stressful life. He parted his lips and sighed. His eyes opened (oh god, he closed them?) when he felt Avenir’s left hand touch under his chin.

     “Head up. We will keep correcting your posture until you learn.”

     Corbet felt himself smirk. “You don’t seem the type to repeat yourself.”

     "An unfortunate detail in being a personal trainer,” Avenir said flippantly. They pressed against Corbet’s stomach again, this time getting him to stop. They came around to his back and brought their hands to his waist again. “Now, you’re going to practice skating backwards.”

     “Backwards? Already?”

     Avenir nodded and glanced over their shoulder. “You are doing well enough. We will get you used to the motions, and then you are to try skating on your own.”

     Corbet sighed. He couldn’t negotiate when it came to them. “Fine. I’ll _try_ it.”

     “Do not sound so defeated,” Avenir teased. He could hear the smile in their voice. “It is easier than you think.”

     "Says you," Corbet quipped under his breath.

Avenir gave a little huff, acknowledging his remark, before they began stepping backwards. They curled their fingers and drew Corbet along with them. Corbet looked down at their feet, and Avenir described what they were doing, how they held their weight, and told him how he should control his steps. Corbet nodded his head as he listened, honing in on the firm grip of Avenir’s fingers on his hips, keeping him grounded and secure. Avenir shifted to their right foot, sliding their hand to the front of his stomach as they dropped their left hand. Corbet blinked at the motion and looked over his shoulder. They were watching over their shoulder, safely guiding Corbet along the shoulder of the rink with them. They slowed down and stopped right at the center of the curve. They looked down to Corbet and drew their other hand away.

     “Do you understand now?"

     “I think I’ve got it,” Corbet said flatly. He wasn’t entirely certain he did, but Avenir gave him no room to complain. 

They moved over to Corbet’s side and sized him up again before pointing off somewhere behind him. Corbet turned and saw that Avenir was gesturing towards the closest gate.

     “Just make your way there. And take your time.”

Corbet stared at the open gap in the wall. It wasn’t very far, maybe ten, twenty feet, but he still felt a little uncertain about trying this. Even still, he mentally prepared himself before nodding. He gave a huff and slowly did as Avenir had described to him. They corrected his form — “Don’t lock your knees.” “Turn with your body and not just your head.” “Lean slightly forward. Correct your balance.” — and Corbet found that he felt better about moving backwards instead of going forwards. He wasn’t sure what that was about. Again, he refused to look deeper into that as a sign about his character.

When he came to the gate, he slid a bit past it just so he could grab the open door and walk in normally. He took in deep, steady breaths to calm himself. He did it. Damn _right_ he did it! He smiled to himself as he carefully walked towards the seats. He was doing a lot better; he wasn’t sure how slow or fast he was supposed to go as far as progress, but he was proud of what he had so far. Avenir skated up to the gate and soon followed in his steps. Corbet took a seat in front of the caged fire; his coach took to one of the chairs in the row in front of him.

     “You are advancing faster than we thought you would,” they said. “We thought it would take you longer to come out of your shell.” Corbet squinted his eyes, unable to read their tone. Avenir merely waved a hand to dismiss his scrutiny. “You are doing well,” they said plainly this time. “Be proud of it.”

Corbet gave a little smile in response as he leaned back in his seats. He crossed his legs at the ankles and swayed his feet left and right. Yeah… He did feel a little proud. The doors opened to his left, and a group of people came in. All female. They smiled at each other and laughed as they continued with their conversation, and their outfits greatly differed from Corbet’s. Where he was dressed in a deep blue pull over and sweats, the women were dressed in short sleeve shirts and workout pants, all of them colourful and had different patterns. One of the women, a long haired blonde, had a sweater tied around her waist, and her skates were hooked over her left shoulder. The women all moved towards Corbet and Avenir, nodding and saying pleasantries as they passed. Only the blonde woman stopped and looked to Avenir.

     “Good to see you again.”

     “And you,” Avenir said softly. Corbet was surprised by the tone of their voice. It was inviting, familiar. They gestured a hand towards the group of women off to the left near the lockers. They were preparing for their skate with some warm up stretches. “Will you be competing again?”

     The blonde sighed. “Aah, I plan to.” She placed a hand on her hip. “It’s been a long time. I accidentally took a four year break. Oops.” She brought a hand to her mouth and laughed. To Corbet, the sound was naturally sensual, but it was also bright and sweet. It sounded like what a warm breeze on a sunny day felt like. She then reached up to pull her ponytail over her right shoulder. “I should get going. See you out there?”

     Avenir nodded. “See you there.”

She then headed back to her group and pulled her skates off her shoulder as she launched into another conversation. The warmth of the fire crept over Corbet’s shoulders and spread to the front of his body. He closed his eyes as a chill overtook him like a wave, goosebumps rising up over his skin. He sighed through his lips, opening his eyes slowly. Avenir was looking around the sitting area, thumbs smoothing idly over one and then the other.  Finally, they stood up and moved towards the gate.

     “We’ll be waiting for you on the ice.”

     “Be there soon,” Corbet said as his coach effortlessly began to glide.

He sighed as they went around the rink; their movements came oh so easily. He wondered how much longer he had until he could move like that. Of course, he wasn’t delusional. He knew that it would take a _while_ , even at the speed he was supposedly going. Hell, even getting started in this introductory week had been rocky. His schedule kept changing; the hours he kept Avenir varied. Though, in spite of their icy behaviour and dry way of speaking, Avenir had been immeasurably patient. After Corbet expressed a serious interest in skating, they had asked for his phone number. Mostly so they would know when to meet him and also to give him things to do and watch on his off time. Maybe it was to further test his interest, but Corbet rose to the unspoken challenge.

Thinking of Avenir’s texts made Corbet pull his phone out of his pocket. He tapped out his password and navigated to his messages. Avenir’s texting was much like their speaking: formal and proper. They even double spaced after every period. There was something so old-fashioned about it; Corbet couldn’t help but smile a little as he read over the messages. _Watch this. Try this exercise. Do you plan on coming in tomorrow._ There was no question mark– okay, that had a bit of a quirk on its own. The main door opened again, and Corbet looked over to his left. Ruari walked in with an autumn red turtleneck. The shoulders and elbows had gold patches on them. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his fitted pants. He already had his skates on; the blade guards were black, which was shocking against the other colours.

Ruari didn’t look around; his gaze was set on Avenir alone on the ice. He stopped against the wall, picked up one foot to remove the guard, and then he removed the other. He quietly set them down onto the bench to his right and braced his hands on the gate. He licked his lips as he touched his right foot against the ice. Corbet glanced through the panes. Avenir wasn’t paying attention. They were skating towards the other side of the rink. Suddenly, Ruari moved forward. He pushed off with his left foot and glided only on his right. Corbet sat up straighter and watched as Ruari reached out his hands and ran his fingers over Avenir's sides. Avenir jumped at the sudden touch, and Corbet believed that that was the first time he had ever seen them surprised.

He couldn’t hear either of them speaking, but he saw the suspicious way that Avenir regarded Ruari. Their fingers were curled, their eyes narrowed. Ruari spoke with a smile as he drifted around them. His right hand hovered over his stomach, and his left arm was held out at his side, fingers gestured towards the ice. Avenir stared at him for a few moments longer and then turned away. Corbet could almost hear the characteristic huff come from his coach. Ruari didn’t give chase. Instead, he hopped into the booth and checked around the desk. He found the music hooked up to the intercom system. Avenir spun around at this time, watching Ruari as they moved backwards. There was a sharp scratch as Avenir came to a halt. They placed their hands on their hips, and then Ruari’s grin broadened as he found new music to listen to. It was far more spirited. The tempo was faster; the overall song was heated and passionate. Ruari quickly moved out of the booth and made his way back to Avenir.

He opened out his arms and shrugged up his shoulders. A laugh was in that smile, building up but not completely toppling over yet. Avenir flicked up their right hand and held their palm towards Ruari’s face. Ruari wasn’t deterred. That laugh spilled over, causing his shoulders to shake as he dropped his arms and followed after Avenir. Corbet felt compelled to stand up. He walked to the seat where Avenir was before and pressed his left knee down against it. He crossed his arm over the narrow lip of the half wall and rested his elbows against the thick pane of glass. Ruari must have said something because Avenir turned with a speed that took Corbet’s breath away.

They reached up with their right hand and gripped Ruari's jaw. Corbet noticed the way Ruari’s shoulders broadened, the way his back straightened under the touch. Avenir narrowed their eyes, and a small smirk played on their lips. They spoke in a slow, enunciated way. Corbet could make out the words “Very well” as they canted their head to the left. Avenir pushed Ruari back, forcing him to skate backwards and followed after him. From there, their movements blended into a dance that Corbet wasn’t expecting.

Ruari moved backwards with amazing speed, one leg crossing over the other as he rounded the rink. Avenir followed behind with their arms behind their back. Their right hand loosely held the wrist of their left. Ruari took a sudden turn and faced away from Avenir; his arms flowed open at his side. Avenir came up to Ruari’s left, and they hooked an arm around his middle. Ruari sank down, bending his right leg and letting his left trail behind them. Avenir arched their back and raised their left hand into the air; their fingers fanned out gracefully.

The two straightened up, Ruari doing so in longer beats than Avenir. When he finally came up properly, Avenir brought a hand flat against his hip and gestured ahead. They leaned forward, and Ruari followed suit barely a second later. Corbet held his breath when Avenir turned around, keeping their leg up and straight. They opened out their arms fully and looked as if they were flying on Ruari’s back. He held them up with his own strength, and Avenir’s eyes drifted closed. Corbet can’t say that there was a moment when he had seen them look so pensive, so strangely at peace. 

The two curved around slowly, Avenir holding that position of flight as Ruari kept them balanced. Then, Ruari stood up straight, and Avenir went with him. They pushed forward, kicking away from him as they headed to the opposite end of the rink. The two circled around, heading towards the dead center. Avenir didn’t look to Corbet as they came around. They merely held their hands at their sides, fingers opening and closing in small intervals. Ruari moved with quick footwork, dancing and twisting. Avenir gave one push and went into a spread eagle, head turning and hands sliding down their hips. The two fell back into the beat of the song just in time to meet each other in the center of the rink. Avenir cupped their left hand against the back of Ruari’s neck and set their right arm on his shoulder, hand poised behind him, pointing towards the wall. Ruari imitated the pose. He smirked at them, and Corbet swore he saw the expression returned.

The two spun together rapidly. Despite how their relationship might have been now, Corbet suspected there was still a great deal of trust or at least confidence in each other that they could have pulled off a such maneuver. Just as the song ended, Avenir dipped Ruari towards the ground. They threw their right arm back, fingers pointing towards the sky now. Ruari kept his grip latched onto their neck. His face was flushed; his breathing was heavy, but the smile on his face was as charming as ever. Avenir then leaned in, hiding Ruari’s face from view. Whatever they said made Ruari hold his breath in a visible way. His free hand came down against their back and balled up their sweater. 

Cheering came from the group of women who watched the exchange. The friendly blonde was standing, leaning her weight back onto her left leg as she clapped and cheered at the duo still entangled on the ice. Avenir helped Ruari stand up properly, and he fidgeted as he adjusted his shirt around his hips. Avenir looked to the blonde and gave a single nod. Then, they turned their head towards Corbet. They posed a silent question as they gestured their hand out. Was he coming?

Corbet sighed and moved towards the gate, mumbling a pardon as he slipped past the blond. He felt emboldened by the impromptu choreography he just watched, but he knew that the overconfidence would do him no good. If he hadn’t fallen by now, he was most certainly guaranteed to bust his ass if he got too sly now.

     “Let’s try going backwards again,” Avenir said, and Corbet heard the huskier edge to their voice. That raw rumble that followed each of their words, and he was silently entranced by it.

     “Yeah, I’m ready,” he said and turned around to face them.

Avenir counted the beats for him to follow. He had to tune out the music, which had kicked changed into another lively selection. It had a vivacious spirit, but Corbet pushed it out of his mind so he could focus on Avenir’s voice. By the end of the first hour, he felt his muscles grow tired, but his spirit became more resolute. At the end of the second, he no longer feared falling. Some part of him had put the possibility completely out of his mind. Ruari skated by and cheered him on. He brought up both hands, and Corbet accepted the double high five tiredly. He laced their fingers together and gave a squeeze when he felt himself almost lose his balance. His abs clenched tight, and Corbet gave a woeful groan. The clench made him realise that every part of him had a dull ache.

     “I think that’s a sign I should go home,” he said with a sigh.

     “I’ll get you part of the way there.” Ruari freed one of his hands but used the other to guide Corbet to the gate. 

Corbet stepped off with a breathy “Thank you”. When he touched down on the mat, he immediately collapsed into one of the chairs close-by. Avenir slid up to the gate as Corbet began undoing his boots. When he looked up, he saw Avenir standing close by, looking like a majestic hawk ready to descend upon its prey. He could only raise his brows at them; he was tired. No need for posturing.

     “Text us when you get home,” they said simply. “We will have something for you to watch later.”

     “Okay, Avenir,” Corbet said. The last thing on his mind was “homework” in any capacity, but they were a good coach to him, so he would play nice and watch.

     “And good work out there. You are improving greatly.”

     Corbet sat up straight, felt himself smile, and knocked his knuckles against his thigh idly. “Thanks, Avenir…” he said, this time his voice devoid of the tired irritation. 

Avenir gave him a nod and turned around, perking their head up when one of the women called out to them. They opened their hands out at their sides in silent question. Corbet stared at their back for a moment, trying to connect them in this moment to the flurry of grace and passion they had shown just a little bit ago. It seemed impossible, and if someone had told him that Avenir could and did skate like that, he was pretty sure he wouldn't have believed them. He unlaced his shoes, glad today that the rental pair weren’t as awful as they usually were.

He gave a loud groan as when his feet were freed from the skates, leaning his head against the wall behind him. He took a couple of minutes to collect himself before standing up. He returned the skates at the front desk and walked back over to his things, ready to go home. 

     “Hey,” he heard a voice as he sat down. He looked up and saw Ruari smiling down at him. Ruari’s usually combed back hair was a tad bit disheveled now. “Good job out there.”

     Corbet stared at him for a moment before smiling. “Thanks. You and Avenir were… well, you two were amazing.”

     “Yeah.” Ruari turned back to look at the others on the ice. His eyes followed someone, and Corbet could only assume it was Avenir. “Maybe one day they’ll be nice enough to share you so we can have our dance.”

The sentiment made Corbet raise his brows. Ruari wanted to skate with him? That seemed believable. Ruari had that inviting personality to him, but something about him saying he needed Avenir’s blessing to have Corbet as a partner— Corbet shook his head. He put it out of his mind. He wouldn’t look too deeply into that. He heard Ruari chuckle, and then the redhead wished him good-bye. Corbet returned the pleasantry tiredly as he heard Ruari skate off. Corbet tied up his sneakers, grabbed his messenger bag, tugged it onto his shoulder, and thank every god– real and false– that he was finally able to go home.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been two days since Corbet was last on the ice. Honestly, he was thankful for the break. His entire body ached after six straight days of skating. He didn’t do it to push himself, not purposefully anyway. He was trying to figure out the best time that appealed to his schedule, trying to learn how long it would take him, on average, to get through with a particular lesson. All in all, he learned that going skating on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays played best with him. He could probably wiggle in Sundays if he was feeling really masochistic. He was thankful that Avenir hadn’t sent him anything to review while he was off. Even the _thought_ of skating right now was enough to make his body go tense. 

It was a little annoying that no amount of stretching or hot baths could take away the dull pains he felt deep in his muscles. Most of the pain was concentrated in the back of his legs, and there was a phantom tension in his stomach. Sometimes, his stomach muscles would spasm, clenching and unclenching in relentless intervals while he held his breath and waited it out. Right now, he didn’t feel the pain so acutely as he laid longways across his bed with his legs thrown over the side. The muscles in his thighs stretched ever so slightly, and it was enough to distract his body from the pains elsewhere.

These pains had a dull familiarity to when he used to rollerblade, but they were also surprisingly different. He vaguely remembered his muscles being tense in his thighs and just under his glutes. With ice skating, it was just the back of his legs that felt worked out. Ice skating and rollerblading had many parallels, but from what Corbet was learning, it was the differences that were far more interesting. A few years ago, no one could tell him anything. He skated at high speeds, grinded on handrails, and bumped his way down stone steps without a single care in the world. He had been fearless then, but something about ice skating brought out a small sense of cowardice in him.

The slippery ice was an unfamiliar adversary, but he wasn’t sure why it made him so… nervous. He closed his eyes and rubbed a hand over his stomach; the tips of his fingers trailed down the length of his navel. Even though he was a complete novice on the ice, he found a good coach in Avenir. They moved with incredible grace and confidence. Corbet thought back to that routine Avenir and Ruari did together. It was beautiful to watch… The two of them moved with such great synchronicity. As he thought more on that routine, he wanted to understand what exactly Avenir's feelings were towards Ruari.

How could they be so heated towards him and yet still have the wherewithal to skate like that? Corbet let the scene replay in his mind, starting from the moment when Avenir grabbed Ruari by the face. Ah… That did happen, didn’t it? And what’s more, Ruari hadn't reacted negatively. There was also a moment after the routine when Avenir had Ruari dipped. Corbet clearly remembered how Ruari grabbed onto Avenir’s sweater desperately. He drummed his fingers over his stomach in thought. Was there something between them…?

He wasn’t sure why he was so fixated on these two and why he couldn’t stop thinking about either of them. His thoughts were disrupted when he heard chuffing somewhere off to his right. Corbet slowly turned his head to see Tailan pawing his way through the sheets towards him. His little black nose wiggled inquisitively as he approached. Corbet closed his eyes, kissing against the softened quills as Tailan wiggled his way closer. Tailan made a little noise, leaning against Corbet’s face before waddling further down Corbet’s body. Corbet’s lips quirked up when he felt the tiny paws against his neck.

     “Looking for something?” Corbet asked, reaching up a hand to lazily rub against Tailan’s back.

He received a little huff in response. Tailan stood in place for a moment before pushing away and making his way down lower. The hedgehog pressed closer to Corbet’s side before turning suddenly to the left. He squeezed tighter against his owner, trying to dig under Corbet and absorb his warmth. Corbet tipped down to the left to watch Tailan’s valiant attempts, but then he jerked with a sudden laugh when he felt the little paws scratching against his side. He wouldn’t claim to be ticklish, but the little animal touches sent giggles all through his body. The sudden movement made his muscles protest greatly, especially in his stomach. He pressed his lips together and let out an uncomfortable hum as he reached for his pet.

     “Tai, Tai, Tai, Tai, Tai,” Corbet repeated breathlessly. He scooped up Tailan, rolled onto his back, and placed the hedgehog down on his chest. “That tickles,” he chided with a lingering laugh. “Don’t do that.”

Tailan blinked at him slowly before settling down on Corbet’s chest wordlessly. He gave a big yawn and let his little eyes fall closed. Corbet hummed softly. “Sleepy guy,” he said fondly as he pet down the length of Tailan’s small back. Tailan’s nose wiggled in response, but he didn’t open his eyes again. Corbet tucked his chin to stare down at his adorable pet. He couldn’t blame Tailan for being sleepy. He was too, in all honesty. He yawned just as Tailan had. He brought his gaze up towards the ceiling. His mind traveled lazily through different thoughts. He tried to continue his pondering about Avenir and Ruari, but his mind couldn’t keep up. 

Maybe it was just better for him to follow in Tai’s footsteps and take a nap. Thinking that, Corbet cupped a hand behind Tai and let his eyes fall closed.

 

_The top half of the world was black, the bottom half white. A thin layer of chilly fog wafted above the ice. Skates cut over the ice. Soft breathing accompanied the noise. Corbet was dressed in a black leotard; the sleeves of his outfit were covered in glitter, thick around the wrists and lessening as the glitter went up his arms. The wrists were bedazzled with colourless topaz and grey zircon. Around his hips was a light blue sash that draped down over his left leg. Corbet waved his arms in front of his face before holding them up to the air. He closed his eyes slowly, finding peace with this quiet, solo skate._

_He drew in a deep breath and let it out through his parted lips. As he opened his eyes, Avenir glided backwards at amazing speed. They crossed their legs as they skated in front of him. Avenir’s left hand slid up Corbet’s chest to tenderly cup under his jaw. Their fingers fanned over his right cheek, and Corbet leaned into their touch. The look in Avenir’s stunning, orange eyes was calm, but there was a silent sense of authority, desire, domination. As Corbet analysed that look, he felt Avenir’s hand move to the back of his neck. They drew him closer. Avenir’s lips skimmed over Corbet’s left cheek._

_They spoke to him. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he shuddered bodily as the chilly touch of their lips fell once more upon his skin. Avenir pulled away, sliding backwards out of view, and Corbet didn’t hurry after them. He pushed with the toe pick of his right skate, and just as he gained more speed, Ruari slid up behind him. The taller male wrapped his arms around Corbet’s middle. Corbet leaned his head back as he was drawn to Ruari’s chest. He stared up at Ruari through his lashes. Ruari smiled down at him fondly._

_Corbet brought up a hand and stroked the back of his fingers against Ruari’s cheek. Ruari reached up and held Corbet’s hand to his face. He kissed Corbet’s palm gently before pulling back and skating away. Again, Corbet didn’t give chase. Instead, he stopped in the dead center of the rink. He stared into the darkness for a long moment before closing his eyes. The fog grew and turned into a blizzard, painting the entire scene white._

 

Corbet opened his eyes slowly. A sleepy, almost confused noise left him as he reached up to rub at his eyes with his free hand. He let his hand fall to the bed as he stared up at the ceiling again. Ah– what time was it? He lazily felt around for his phone, only moving his arm and fingers this way and that to assist in the search. He paused when he heard the tiniest of whistles. Corbet looked down to Tai, who was still fast asleep. That was so cute… It wasn’t often that he heard the hedgehog do that. After another minute of searching for his phone in his single position, Corbet gave up and decided that he would rather just go get something to eat.

He stared down at the little hedgehog and debated about bringing Tailan along. After a short lived noise, Corbet decided to leave Tai to his nap. He sat up slowly, whispering “I know, I know” when Tai huffed out little protests. Corbet twisted back and bunched up his covers, trying to make a little nest for the hedgehog. Once it was done, he gently deposited Tailan down into it. He leaned forward to press kisses against the Tailan’s head and stood up.

Corbet walked slowly to his kitchen. His fingers trailed against the smooth painted walls, and the slightly grainy texture against the pads of his fingers helped wake him up little by little. As he came to the end of the hall, he turned his head to the left and looked at the black and white vintage clock hanging on his wall. It was almost three in the afternoon. He raises his brows. Well, he had slept for about four hours. That was an accident— and a mistake. His stomach growled as he turned right into his kitchen. He grabbed a few things to eat for himself: some grapes, a half peeled orange that was– for some reason– stored in the fridge, and a half finished chocolate bar. What was with him and half finishing food? He bent down into the fridge, looking around for anymore partially consumed foods before closing the fridge door. 

He walked over and grabbed a banana to top off his mostly healthy snack run. He then walked to the end of the counter, pulled a small saucer closer to his form, and put a bite sized piece of his banana onto it. He pulled out a bag of cashews to all a small number of them onto the saucer as well. He was sure Tailan wouldn’t mind too much at being woken up to eat. Corbet smiled when he thought of his small friend, chuffing and nibbling sleepily at the offered food. Tailan was so adorable. It had been a couple of years since they first met. Corbett wasn’t sure of the exact day, but he knew their ‘anniversary’, as it were, was in April. 

Hm, just a couple of months away.

He collected all of his food onto a plate and then carried it and Tai’s saucer back into his room. As he walked back, he was suddenly aware of the movement of his own hips. He wasn’t entirely sure why or what prompted it, but he was focused on the way his hips cocked with every forward movement, the way his muscles felt more tired than usual as he walked. He speculated on how Ruari reacted his first time on the ice, how he would have handled the tension and the newness of his muscles being worked. Would Ruari still have that charming smile of his? Would he have a breathy but pained laugh as he eased himself into a hot bath?

Corbet stopped in the hall just in front of his bedroom. Why was he thinking about that? He groaned and shook his head hard, walking blindly for a few steps before walking properly. He didn’t even know Ruari that well, and he was already imagining the man taking a bath. _And_ Corbet had dreamt about him earlier too? “Embarrassing,” he mumbled to himself as he entered into his room. He placed the saucer down in front of Tailan, who stirred from his restful sleep. “Got something for you to nibble on, Tai,” Corbet said once Tai’s nose started twitching and sniffing at the air. The hedgehog slowly emerged from his ruffled mound of blankets. Tai’s front paws stretched out, and he yawned, snapping his maw closed with a little huff. He wiggled himself and continued stepping forward, partially circling the saucer before settling on gnawing on one of the cashews. 

Corbet set down his plate and carefully sat down near Tai’s saucer. “Probably shoulda made these smaller, huh?” he asked the air with a little smile. He picked up all of the cashews except the one Tai was biting on. Corbet made quick work by snapping each cashew into smaller pieces with his teeth and a small flick of his hand. He dropped each piece onto the saucer and soon took the last remaining big piece from Tailan to break it as well. Corbet gave one last stroke over the hedgehog’s back before taking his plate and moving to the other side of his bed. 

His laptop was still partially opened at the foot of his bed; he had completely forgotten about it. He peeled the banana further down before pushing open his laptop and wiggling his fingers over the touchpad. He had watched all of the exercise and training videos Avenir told him to watch. The moves were basic; the exercise seemed just challenging enough for him to stay interested. He tapped on a video to replay it as he bit down on a banana. The young lithe skater on screen was demonstrating the proper way to practice barre stretches. Corbet sighed through his nose. He could do these easily…

His gaze trailed down to the suggested videos down to the right. He scrolled idly, tuning out the monotone voice that described each of the skater’s movements. He furrowed his brows when he thought he saw someone familiar in one of the thumbnails. He clicked on the video and looked down to the full title underneath.

_★☆  Aisling♡ Women’s Free Skate 【20121217】☆★_

The sound of cheering and applause suddenly filtered through his speakers when the video properly loaded, causing him to turn down the volume to just a little above half. A familiar face waved to the crowd as she circled around. Yes– he had seen her before! She was the blonde woman he saw at the rink. Avenir did mention something about her being a competitive skater… Corbet folded his right leg towards him as he leaned forward, tipping the screen further back to give him the best view.

Aisling took the center of the rink, a hand on her hip and the other thrown up in the air. She smiled with closed lips and stared straight ahead as she waited for her cue. The music had a hypnotic reverb as it started; it boomed over the speakers, kicking up into an unexpected trance mix. Corbet wasn’t very good at nailing the nuances of music, but he knew that this fell under the trance-electronica-house family. For the most part, they all sounded the same with very slight variations. Aisling picked something lively to put all of her energy into. In spite of this, she paced herself responsibly. She focused mostly on her footwork, choosing surprising motions to go into her jumps. Each time made Corbet’s breath catch in his throat; his abs tensed again out of second hand fear.

There was one time when Aisling over rotated on one of her spins. Instead of falling and trying to catch herself, she went with the fall and lowered herself down into a controlled crouch. She kept her right leg extended outward and stretched her left hand towards it, twisting back to raise her right arm into the air as she spun backwards. The crowd ate it up, and as Aisling passed by one of the cameras, there was a smile of disbelief on her face. _Ho-ly shit_ , her look seemed to say. Corbet was right there with her. She eased up onto her skates proper and continued on with the rest of her routine. With her last jump, she landed with a dramatic swing of her right leg. She bent completely forward and skated on just one leg for a few quick beats. When she straightened up again, she swung her right leg to cross over her left and went into a spin.

_She’s dangerous!_ Corbet thought as Aisling’s hands went up over her head. Her spin accelerated, and Corbet watched with wide eyes. His food, at this point, was completely forgotten. When Aisling broke out of her spin, she opened out her arms at her sides. Her legs were crossed, and she smiled brightly at the world. The cheering was deafening now. Corbet couldn’t blame them. His heart was racing from the performance. Aisling’s hair was a little less perfect after her routine. She was breathing heavily as she held her pose. She dropped her arms, sweeping one across her stomach as she took a deep bow. 

Flowers rained down onto the ice; a couple of people threw stuffed animals. Aisling spun around to blow a kiss to the crowd behind her. The camera angle switched to her face as surprise took her. She skated forward for a little while before ducking out of view and picking up one of the stuffed animals. It was a large stuffed rabbit about the size of her torso. Its stitched eyes were two different colours, and its buck teeth were comically oversized. Aisling pressed a couple of kisses to it before waving to the crowd once again. She skated off the ice and hugged her coach with one arm.

The video ended with a still image of her in an arabesque position with a serene look on her face. Corbet stared at the screen for a little longer before taking a dumbfounded bite of his banana. He straightened up suddenly when he felt a vibration against his ass. He shifted to the side to fish out his phone from his back pocket. He heard Tailan smacking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. Looking over, Corbet saw the little hedgehog licking at the banana.

_So damn cute_ , he thought to himself as he brought his attention back to his phone.

**  
Coach Avenir**

_What is your schedule for this week.  
_      15:15

  
**Me**

_i think im gonna start coming in weds - fri.  
_ _maybe sun every once in a while  
_ _is that cool?_  
     15:17

  
**Coach Avenir**

_That is fine. Are you still sore?  
_      15:18

  
**Me**

_uh…… yeah. rly sore.  
_ _is there anythin i can like  
_ _do about hat??  
_ _* that_  
     15:20

  
**Coach Avenir**

_Baths usually help._  
     15:20

  
**Me**

_ive tried that. tried massaging too._  
     15:20

  
**Coach Avenir**

_A heating pad, then, is your best ally._  
     15:21

  
**Me**

_dont have one._  
     15:21

**  
Coach Avenir**

_Then there’s nothing else to tell you._  
     15:22

 

Corbet rolled his eyes and sucked sharply on his tongue in response to the dry retort.

 

**Me**

_thanks avenir_  
     15:22

  
**Coach Avenir**

_You will be fine._  
     15:23

 

Corbet gave a defiant little huff, and then he dropped his phone to his thigh. He looked back to his laptop, content to just let the conversation with his coach just end there. But then, he was hit by a stroke of curiosity. He tapped on the search bar and typed in _Avenir ice skating_. He wasn’t sure whether or not he should have been surprised by the number of videos that came up in his search. He scrolled briefly through the first page before blindly clicking a video.

It was short, only a minute and thirteen seconds. It was a short video of Avenir walking. The surrounding architecture reminded Corbet of the outside of airport where people drove up to drop off flight passengers. Their face was wrapped by several scarves; their hands were tucked into the pockets of their double breasted jacket. They didn’t look cold, per se, but the expression on their face, tight and tired, betrayed the fact that the androgynous skater was feeling less than optimal on the day this was filmed.

_“How do you feel about seeing your new team?”_ came a spritely voice.

_“Unimpressed. They will be a lot of work,”_ said Avenir in a dry voice. They sounded a little congested.

_“Are you sure you don’t want to stay behind? Book another flight when you’re feeling better?”_

As the person filming asked the question, Avenir rolled their eyes and passed through two sets of automatic sliding doors. Once they were indoors, they stopped and turned towards the camera. They peered off to their left for a few beats before finally looking directly at the camera. Avenir leaned in and spoke in French with a thick, almost native accent.

     « _Lyons regional team, we will not accept anything else than excellence._ »

     « _Don’t scare them yet,_ » replied the camerawoman, laughing at the end of her sentence.

     Avenir flicked their gaze up before standing straight. _“They will be afraid either way, Aisling. It is best to give them a sense of warning.”_

Aisling. Somehow, Corbet should have expected that. He glanced down to the name of the channel, _the sealing leaves_ , tapped on it, and then clicked around the channel. There were a good number of playlists, though none of them had updated in the past two years. He tapped on the VIDEO tab and scrolled through the various uploads. Titles and thumbnails vied for his attention, but ultimately, he clicked on a video titled _AVE & AI 2009 · LYONS HARRIERS SYNCHRONISED ROUTINE._

The angle of the video made it seem as if someone– probably Aisling– was filming from a balcony. The video slowly zoomed in on Avenir talking with three skaters. Their arms were crossed, and their head bobbed sternly as they spoke. The French skaters looked to each other before giving Avenir a resolute nod in return. Avenir uncrossed their arms and turned around, flicking their hand to signal the music. When the music started, Avenir pushed off to the right, and then the three skaters followed after them. 

Avenir led the routine, and the video zoomed out just a bit to record the entire rink easily. The music was soft and dreamlike, but the grace with which Avenir turned was almost intimidating. The three skaters followed each step, each of them looking exhausted. Regardless of how they felt, they followed Avenir with great determination. Corbet watched as Avenir spun around and focused on the three like a hawk before arching their back and drifting backwards. 

Tailan waddled up to Corbet and pawed expectantly at him. Corbet flicked his gaze quickly down to Tai before scooping him up and setting him down between his legs. He watched the rest of the routine with rapt attention. He curled the fingers of his left hand against his mouth and rested his elbow on his bent leg. The four skaters onscreen went into a uniform candlestick spin. They slowed down and stood up with practiced—or again, exhausted—grace. The routine ended with Aisling cheering. Avenir twisted to look up at her, their face impassive but their chest lifting and falling as a telltale sign of their effort. They looked back to the group and dismissed the skaters with a wave of their hand. 

The trio relaxed, their figures slumping immediately with relief. As they skated off the ice, Avenir placed their hands on their hips. They lifted their gaze again towards Aisling, who thrust her arm into the frame and gave them a thumbs up. She held that pose for a few seconds longer, and then the video ended. “Damn,” Corbet said in a final breath. He sat back away from his computer and closed the screen. Awe slowed down his movements considerably. When the laptop was closed, he looked down to his phone and then to Tailan.

     “Hey, Tai. You wanna go for a walk?” He didn’t wait for a response as he scooped up Tai with one hand and grabbed his phone with the other. “Let’s go for a walk."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After entirely too long, I have finally found the presence of mind to update this. I am also horribly sick. RIP me.

Going on a walk proved to be an excellent idea.

With Tailan in hand, Corbet took in a deep breath of fresh air; his feet carried him far away from his home in the direction of the park. He replayed Aisling’s videos in his head as he walked. Now that the initial shock of it all had passed, he could better digest what it was he saw. For lack of a better, more satisfying word, Aisling was… _amazing_. Her jumps, perhaps, were the most compelling thing about her routines. Not to say that she wasn’t an amazing skater overall, but her jumps made Corbet feel both shock and awe to almost nauseating degrees. She wasn’t someone to mess with, he felt, but what was it that made her want to take a break?

He laughed gently at his own question as he turned left and began walking down a gentle slope. The park opened out wide in front of him with long stretches of green but dry grass and a thick forest lining the further reaches of the park. Well, considering the way she used to skate, Corbet wasn’t surprised she wanted to step away for a while. He’d be exhausted too.

He paused to watch as Tailan walked to the edge of his hands. Small paws curled at his fingertips, and Tailan sniffed eagerly at the air. Corbet smiled, leaned forward, and gave his beloved pet a kiss on the back. Continuing on to the bottom of the slope, the Sun beamed down on Corbet’s face before being hidden away by a thick, long cloud. He gently set down Tailan onto the grass before sitting down himself. Tailan began pawing his way through the short grass, walking slowly as he explored the world around him. Corbet watched fondly and crossed his arms atop his knees. He watched his pet for a few moments longer before letting his mind continue its former train of thought.

Even though Aisling seemed like the type to have been pro before, Corbet was incredibly surprised by her intensity. Maybe he felt more blindsided than he should have been because he never actually had a chance to see her skate in person. She often came to the rink with her usual group, and whenever Corbet saw her, she was standing on the ice or just leisurely skating from one point to another while talking to someone, and if she ever came alone, well… he wasn’t there to see it happen.

Tailan sneezed, briefly cutting Corbet off from his thoughts. After a moment of recovery, the hedgehog circled around and began his steady path towards and in front of Corbet. His little nose wiggled as he sniffed something out. Corbet reached down to run his hand down Tailan’s back but otherwise did nothing to impede the hedgehog’s path. He was a hedgehog on a mission.

Corbet then let his thoughts drift away from Tailan and Aisling and onto a new subject. _Avenir_ … What about _them_ ? There weren’t many videos that he could find of his coach in their more professional days. But, he knew how they skated firsthand. He was their _student_ , so of course he knew, but he also saw how they took to the rink with Ruari. Corbet brought his hand to his mouth; his index finger trailed thoughtfully over his bottom lip. He played over their routine again. It had been impossible _not_ to watch. And from what he suspected, it was a spur of the moment routine as well. They moved together so well, Ruari and Avenir did. What they had was… electric, even. As Corbet thought, more questions popped up than he was admittedly ready for. With Ruari being a regular there and Avenir being a coach, it was a no-brainer that they would know each other. Just how familiar they were was what he really wanted to know.

Corbet squinted his eyes at the grass as he became further lost in his thoughts. And who was _Ruari_ in all of this? Did he know Aising outside of a superficial way? Corbet suspected that he did, but to what degree?

His brows twitched together as his mind raced with these unanswered questions and more. He lowered his hands down to the tops of his feet and pressed his face against his knees. Finally, with a groan, he came to a single conclusion. “I should just mind my own business,” he grumbled out loud. After a few seconds, he felt a wet kiss against his fingers. He lifted his head just slightly to look down to Tailan. The hedgehog nibbled at his fingers before looking up at him as well.

“Augh, Tai… What am I going to do?” Corbet asked as he pet over the hedgehog’s head. He wasn’t entirely sure what the answer was going to be, but the unfortunate thing was he wouldn’t be able to ignore his curiosity for very long.

He never was really good at minding his own business when that came into play.

  
  
As the days went on and as his lessons continued, Corbet’s skills improved. Not by great leaps or bounds, but Avenir commented that he was very adept at skating for being a novice. He was learning faster than most others, but that only made the repetition of what he was learning that much more important. The repetition was what ultimately helped him earn his stars. Once Corbet nailed the basics of his lessons, Avenir would hammer down on his form, his balance, and his execution. They remarked that they were still going easy on him since he was still in his skating infancy. The idea always made Corbet wince. How much tougher could they be?

Their tough coaching aside, Corbet basked in their praise. As detached, offhanded, and matter-of-fact as it was. He could tell that they were impressed with him (and whenever they said as much, he felt himself actually preening). Then again, they had _better_ be impressed. He was working his ass off here. This was supposed to be just a hobby! How did this get so serious? The only thing that disappointed Avenir was the fact that Corbet _still_ hadn’t gotten his own pair just yet. In his defense, after every practice, he didn’t even want to look at another pair of ice skates, let alone _think_ about them. Another part of him, less in his defense, was just lazy.

Together, they also discovered a skating speed that worked best for him and helped him move naturally. He wasn’t able to speed around quite like the others were, but he was no longer at a nervous snail’s pace. And that, for him, was progress enough.

And Corbet’s skating aptitude wasn’t the only thing to change with the passage of time. Avenir’s attitude had changed around him as well. They were still as stony and unreadable as ever, but Corbet had been in direct contact with them long enough to notice the more subtle differences in their behaviour. At first, they used to give small touches to the back of his arms or under his elbows mostly to draw his attention or to give him subtle hints about what to change with his stance, but then that evolved to almost negligible brushes against his hands and half-hearted strokes over his waist.

His suspicions about their behaviours were proved right whenever Ruari was around. Avenir would subtly place themselves between Ruari and Corbet or closely watch the two whenever they were all talking together. There was a hint of possessiveness to them that wasn’t entirely off-putting to Corbet. The realisation was dizzying. What caused this? What did this mean?

What did he want _this_ to mean, if anything?

More questions and somehow less answers than he started out with. He didn’t want to think about it, but it was so hard to ignore whenever he went to the rink. He wasn’t sure if Ruari noticed any of this as the redhead made no comment or outwardly expression that would have hinted as such. If anything, Ruari’s attention seemed focused on Corbet himself, and it was flattering as well to have that warm and welcoming smile flashed his way, to have Ruari skating up to greet him. Corbet often likened the sweet look in Ruari’s eyes to that of a puppy– so earnest and happy and loving.

Loving— that was a strong word to use, and yet Corbet could only think that it was fitting.

  
**  
Coach Avenir »**

 _We will not be in Wednesday, Thursday,_ or _Friday.  
__If you still plan on going, practice the last two stances you’ve learned._  
       Mar 28

 

Corbet sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, practice wasn’t nearly as interesting without Avenir around. He shuffled his phone up and down along his palm as he reread their text message for the second time that day. In spite of their absence, Corbet had come anyway. The weekend was here, and he hadn’t practiced any of the stances they had taught him. He took these days as a time for free skating, but for some reason, he just couldn’t find any satisfaction in slacking off either. He sighed and locked his phone. Maybe he should just head home.

       “You’re looking pretty despondent today,” said a smooth and lighthearted voice.

Corbet didn’t have to look to know that it was Ruari, but he did anyway. He was greeted by the sight of Ruari in a blue and white long sleeve button down with a white sleeveless turtleneck underneath. His form fitting black pants made his legs seem so much longer. Corbet turned his head away quickly when he realised he was following the shape of Ruari’s legs with his eyes. He gave a half-hearted shrug of his shoulder instead. Soon, he heard the soft clacking of skates against the mats as Ruari came closer.

       Ruari came to sit down next to Corbet. “Where’s your keeper?” he asked, gently nudging Corbet’s knee with his own.

       Corbet gave a little laugh. “Avenir’s not here,” he said, wiggling his phone pointedly. “So, it’s safe to say I’m without supervision for a while.”

       “'When the cat’s away, the mice shall play', right?” Ruari asked with a sly smile.

       “Hmph.” Corbet turned his phone upside down onto his thigh and leaned back in his seat. “I was thinking about leaving early, actually…”

       “So soon?” There was a hint of… disappointment, was it?, in Ruari’s voice. Ruari sighed and placed his hands on the edge of the bench, shrugging his shoulders up. “And here I thought you and I would finally be able to skate together."

       Corbet met Ruari’s gaze and felt warmed by the connection. “I don’t think Avenir would like that too much,” he said playfully, though intently watching Ruari’s face to see if he could see some kind of reaction.

       To his surprise, Ruari leaned in closer and lowered his voice to an intimate level. “Avenir’s not here,” he repeated with a growing smile on his face.

Corbet felt his heart skip a beat. There was a beat of silence; the indescribable anticipation set heavy between them, mutual on both ends though differently felt. Ruari stood and extended a hand down towards Corbet.

       “We mice have nothing to fear for the time being,” he said.

Corbet gave a little huff of laughter. Well, it wouldn’t hurt, would it? He wasn’t really feeling up to practicing anyway, and he did still have the skates on. He reached up to take Ruari’s hand in his own. He felt as if he was brushing his fingers over a low flame. His fingers were slimmer than Ruari’s were, his skin far paler. Ruari’s fingers curled around Corbet’s, and with a gentle tug, he helped Corbet onto his feet and guided him to the gate. As they walked together,

       “I hope you don’t mind skating with me,” Corbet said with a little laugh in his voice. “I’m still pretty ‘new' at this. I guess. If Avenir’s opinion is anything to go by.”

       Ruari laughed. “They would know, wouldn’t they…? But from what I’ve been seeing, you’re doing pretty well.” Ruari rubbed his thumb against the back of Corbet’s hand. An accident? A nervous habit? Corbet didn’t want to think of it as what it probably was: just a simple want for contact. “But, I can understand your hesitation.”

Ruari let Corbet onto the ice first before stepping on himself. Once they were on even level together, Ruari turned and took Corbet’s other hand as well. He stroked his thumbs over the curve of Corbet’s fingers. Corbet watched the gentle movement of Ruari’s thumbs. Such a simple action felt so incredibly personal. Corbet looked up and saw the gentle look of adoration in Ruari’s eyes again. He was so very honest and easy to read.

Just like a puppy.

       “Don’t worry,” Ruari assured, “I’ll go slow.”

Corbet wasn’t expecting those words to fluster him. He blinked rapidly, and his face grew warmer. The only response that Ruari gave was with a small smile. Corbet scoffed and rolled his eyes, looking away from this embarrassing man in front of him.

       “You had better,” he said.

Ruari only chuckled and skated backwards, taking Corbet with him. He tugged Corbet closer, but in spite of their closer proximity, he managed to take the lead without stumbling or hitting Corbet with his skates. Each movement was precious, graceful, and fluid. Corbet was astonished by the way Ruari moved; he was also flustered by Ruari's soft-eyed gaze on him. The only time the eye contact would break was when Ruari took cautionary glances over his shoulder to make sure they safely followed the shoulder of the rink. As a whole, skating with Ruari was an entirely different experience. The air, the spirit— it was all so out of Corbet’s realm.

With Avenir, Corbet was allowed to daydream under the loose touch of their control. When they held him, he felt a thrum of anticipation, excitement, and, in his early stages, nervousness. But, Ruari’s style of skating was the embodiment of everything Corbet knew him to be. It was intimate, personal, and Corbet found himself looking up to meet Ruari’s gaze a lot more than he had expected. Maybe it was disbelief that caused him to do it. How could someone be this personal and adoring with someone they barely knew. It was new and overwhelming…

Ruari let go of one of Corbet’s hands. He used the other to twirl Corbet around. Corbet stared out to the rest of the rink, and suddenly, he felt as if he could breathe again. He felt grounded in a world that was more familiar to him. Corbet’s arms were gently crossed over his stomach with Ruari’s laid on top. They skated backwards for a few moments longer before Ruari said,

       “Turn your right foot outward. We’re going to turn together.”

       “Okay,” Corbet said, his voice softer than he meant it to be.

He wasn’t used to being an active participant. With Avenir, he could close his eyes and trust them to guide him– while he was also letting them follow where he skated. It was a very passive exchange, but with Ruari… He pressed his lips together and did as he was told. Ruari followed him, and their bodies pressed together in the turn. Corbet felt his stomach flip pleasantly at the closeness. He tightened his arms around himself and leaned his head back to look at Ruari, who just smiled down at him. Though it would be difficult, he needed to stop thinking about the contrasts between Avenir and Ruari. Avenir wasn’t here; he wasn’t with them. For now, he let them pass out of his mind. He was with Ruari in his warm, encompassing embrace.

With the easy way they moved together, it was hard to think that they were floating together on chilly, unforgiving ice. Corbet leaned forward to gain speed, but Ruari leaned into him, lifting up a leg as he went into a single footed glide. Hesitantly, Corbet followed. He didn’t lift his leg nearly as high, but it was exciting all the same. Ruari reached up to tuck Corbet’s hair behind his ear. His fingers trailed down Corbet’s neck to his shoulder. Corbet glanced up to him; he felt as if he was still blushing. The blush sat on his cheeks and along the shell of his ears.

       Ruari stroked along the curve of Corbet's ear. "Cute."

       “Now I get why Avenir acts the way they do around you,” Corbet mumbled. He pulled out of Ruari’s hold to skate away, needing another brief moment to breathe.

       “Oh yeah?” he heard behind him, and soon, Ruari was beside him. Ruari did a hop turn to face Corbet and set one skate in front of the other. “Why do you say that?”

       “You’re so embarrassing,” Corbet said pointedly. “You’re so free with your touches.”

       Ruari laughed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “You know. You sound just like they do…”

       Corbet raised his brows. “How do you mean?”

       Instead of answering, Ruari countered with, “Though, from what I’ve seen, I’m not the one who’s free with my touches as well.”

Ah, so Ruari had noticed something was different. This only further cemented what Corbet had figured to be true anyway. Ruari leaned to the side and turned around in a fluid motion. He kicked away at the ice and sped away. “H-hey!” Corbet shouted. He followed after, unable and unwilling to move any faster than he was able to catch Ruari. His eyes widened when Ruari moved into a glide and then suddenly into a jump. Corbet counted two quick rotations in the air before Ruari landed on his left foot. His right swung wide and then back. He continued skating blindly backwards but opened his arms out for Corbet.

Taking the cue, Corbet skated to meet him. He reached out to grab into Ruari’s forearms, but before he could say something, Ruari stood up straighter, placed his hands on Corbet’s hips, and lifted him up. Corbet gasped and tightened his grip on Ruari. They stared at each other as Ruari led them into lazy turns. The world was an inconsequential blur on the fringes of Corbet’s vision. Ruari set him down gently, and their skate slowed down to a halt. Corbett searched Ruari’s face, trying to understand him through expression alone.

       “A little warning would have been nice,” Corbet said breathlessly.

       Ruari gave a little smile. “Sorry… I can be a little spontaneous."

       “Evidently,” Corbet mumbled. He shifted his weight from one skate to the other. He tapped the toe of his right skate to the ice. “What did you mean about what you said earlier– about you not being the only one who’s free with touching me?”

       “I’m sure you’ve noticed,” Ruari began. “Avenir’s not exactly the touchy-feely type.”

       Corbet did notice. He deflected the shared realisation with a dry joke. “Maybe I’m just the cat’s favourite mouse."

       “I wouldn’t blame them,” Ruari said, giving an almost imperceptible squeeze to Corbet’s hips. “If that were the case.”

Another scoff. Corbet pulled away to create space between them. Ruari let him go. This time when they skated, they moved side by side with each other.

       “Are you always this embarrassing?” he muttered.

       “Maybe, maybe not. It's a mystery,” Ruari said. He looked down to Corbet and smiled. “Isn’t it more fun to try and figure me out on your own?”

       “Or this is just an excuse to get me to keep talking to you.”

       Ruari hummed. “Would you blame me if it was?”

Corbet reached over and gave a small shove to Ruari’s shoulder. So honest. Corbet wouldn’t exactly think himself a liar in his day-to-day life, but he was hardly so forthcoming when it came to things like this. Flirting was one thing, but everything Ruari said was a borderline poetic confession. Corbet felt if he gave Ruari the chance, he would be drowned in poetics and compliments. He reached both hands up to his face and rubbed at his cheeks. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle something so sweet if that were the case.

As they continued to skate together, they switched gears into something more personal. After a bit of playful prodding from Corbet, Ruari told stories about his first time on the ice. During one story, Ruari talked about the first time he fell in front of a group of students—

       “I stepped out of the gate and forgot that ice is, you know, slippery. So when I brought my other foot up, _bam!_  Fell right on my face.” Ruari brought up his right hand to trace his fingers from his right nostril down to his chin. “Bled all over my shirt.”

       “Oh my god,” Corbet said, swaying his legs and moving in a wave pattern along the ice.

       “That’s what they said.” Ruari laughed. “I was pretty embarrassed. Had to sit out for a while. I apologised _so much_ to the people cleaning the ice.”

       “Ugh!” Corbet brought his hands up, covering his ears. He straightened out and skated forward in a line. “That’s why I hate the idea of falling. Just… on the ice.”

       Ruari skated close and touched a hand to Corbet’s elbow. “Don’t worry. You won’t have to worry about that much if I’m here.” He coaxed Corbet’s arm down and gave it an amicable rub. “You’ve never skated before?”

       “Never _ice_ skated. Used to rollerblade.” When Ruari made a face, Corbet laughed. “What?”

       “Like, on blacktop?”

       “Uh-huh.”

Ruari clicked his tongue and looked away. Corbet smirked. He noticed that that was the first time Ruari had looked away, outside of making sure they didn’t careen into something.

       Ruari shook his head. “That just seems more dangerous, doesn’t it?”

       “Oh, it hurts. A lot. But there’s also not this–” Corbet swung a foot up and pointed at his skate. “–on my feet.”

       Ruari gave a weak smile. He didn’t seem entirely convinced. “You’re a rough and tumble sort, aren’t you?”

Corbet let out a long, thoughtful hum. He pushed ahead. Ruari didn’t follow. Carefully, Corbet turned around to face his companion. He placed his hands on his hips.

       “I wouldn’t say that.”

       “I–”

The door closed, interrupting Ruari before he could continue. He and Corbet looked over to the entrance and saw Aisling standing near one of the gates. She waved at the two of them with a wiggle of her fingers. Her skates were tied over her right shoulder. The golden heel of her left boot caught in the artificial light. Corbet stopped to face her, but Ruari kept moving towards him.

       “Been there long?” Ruari asked as he curved around Corbet and set a hand on the smaller male’s lower back.

       “Just got in, actually.” Her gaze shifted slightly as she focused on Corbet. “How’s skating?”

       “Going well.” He motioned a hand to Ruari. “He’s been my impromptu teacher, I suppose.”

       Aisling laughed. “Not as heavy handed as Avenir, I hope.”

       “Not at all, I promise.” Ruari lifted up his free hand like a boy scout.

       A little smile, and Aisling said, “Avenir won’t be back until next… Thursday, I believe?”

       “Oh.” Corbet looked up to Ruari curiously. He shrugged up his shoulders and shook his head. Seems he didn’t know either. Looking back to Aisling, Corbet said, “Guess I’ll see them next week then.”

Aisling nodded her head and moved off to the side. Corbet slid a hand against his thigh thoughtfully. Suddenly, he perked up and patted his legs. He looked to Ruari again.

       “What time is it?”

       Ruari flicked out his arm before checking the time. “It’s about 3:15.”

       “Shit– I should get home.”

       Corbet began towards the gate, and Ruari followed after. “It’s a few hours away from midnight, you know,” Ruari joked, sounding a little sad.

       “I’ve to feed my pet,” Corbet said, carefully but hurriedly stepping down to the mat.

       “Aaah.” Ruari leaned against the gate, watching as Corbet pulled at the laces. “Guess it must be nice to have a friendly face to return to.”

       Corbet’s fingers hesitated over the laces before picking up speed again. “It helps.”

He tugged off his skates and hurried over to the front desk to place them in the appropriate space. He walked back, slipped on his sneakers, and grabbed his phone hurriedly before he forgot. Looking up, he met Ruari’s gaze and received a wistful smile in response.

       “Say hi to the little one for me, then. And be safe.”

       “I will,” Corbet said, holding his phone with both hands and giving it a squeeze between his palms. Remembering that there was another person here, Corbet turned to look at Aisling. “I’ll see you around, yeah?”

       “Of course!” She smiled at him as she fixed her hair into a ponytail. “See you soon.”

Corbet gave a nod and headed towards the entrance doors. It always felt strange leaving the rink. He likened the feeling between crossing realms back into the normal, human world. Looking over his shoulder, he looked through the glass pane towards Ruari and Aisling. Ruari came around to the other side of the gate. Aisling looked up at him and shook her head. Ruari knelt down at her side, and she carded her fingers through his hair before tapping his nose.

He wanted to go back and ask, but he needed to go take care of Tai. Pressing his lips together, he pulled away the sight and left the ever curious beings to their far removed world of ice and blades.


	5. Chapter 5

Corbet sighed out slowly, watching as a cloud of frosted air floated up in front of his face. Aisling’s group was on the ice today. A group of six or so women stood on the other side of the rink, laughing and talking. One of them spun in place before coming to a graceful halt. She swung out her left leg and opened out her arms. The redhead woman in front of her nodded sagely before imitating her pose and talking. They were probably sharing tips. Corbet flit his gaze over the entire group until he spotted Aisling. She was easy to notice. She was one of the shorter skaters, if not  _ the _ shortest skater, in her group. She steepled her fingers together and nodded her head to something someone was saying.

She looked like a doll on the ice. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail just behind her head. Her clothes were gold and cream. He looked down to her skates. The golden blades were poised over the ice. She tilted her right foot slightly, and a sheen of light flashed down the length of the blade. It was fascinating and maybe a bit intimidating. So engrossed was he in his people watching that he didn’t expect hands to run along his sides suddenly. Corbet jumped in place. His hands tightened along the mouth of the gate as he forced himself to stay grounded. A laugh sounded behind him before he twisted back to look at the perpetrator. 

He was greeted by Ruari’s brilliant smile. The redheaded fool was grinning from ear to ear. He moved over to Corbet’s right side, standing between Corbet and one of the benches. 

        “Jump any higher, and you might be ready for a Lutz,” Ruari joked.

        “Don’t…  _ do _ that,” Corbet said in a breath.

He reached over and swatted Ruari with the back of his hand. Ruari rocked back with the strike before stepping closer to place his hand on Corbet’s back, stroking up and down in apologetically gentle passes.

        “Sorry, sorry. Ready to skate a bit?”

        Corbet stared at him flatly before facing the ice again. “Yeah.”

He felt Ruari’s hand go still and, and after a moment, it withdrew from his form. He looked over towards Aisling’s group once more. A few of the women dispersed. The sounds of their skates cutting over the ice filled the air. It helped Corbet fall into the zone once again. Each woman moved confidently, sometimes looking to each other and talking but mostly staying focused on the ice. Vaguely, Corbet registered the noise of something setting on the bench beside him, but he didn’t turn to look. 

_ Well, there was no point in putting this off any longer, _ Corbet thought as he brought a foot forward and set it on the ice. Just as he brought up the second, he felt hands on his hips. They were gone as quickly as they came, however. Corbet turned once he was securely standing on the ice. He raised his brows slightly at Ruari.

        “Thought you would have needed assistance,” Ruari said with a smile. He brought his hands to both gates and helped himself up onto the gate as well. He skated a bit past Corbet. “But look at you,” he continued, his tone sounding quite dangerously like admiration, “moving with more confidence.”

        Corbet felt his face warm and looked at. He reached out to hold one of the gates. It was an automatic reaction that he had, even this far into his training. “Well, it’s been a little while since I started, so I mean…” He shrugged up his shoulders nonchalantly.

        The pause that followed was brief. Ruari spoke in a warm voice, “And you can only get better from here…”

With that, Ruari motioned out towards his right, and then he and Corbet set to skating around the ice. Some of the women from Aisling’s group greeted them as they flew past. Ruari responded in an upbeat tone, sometimes rolling his hand before bowing. He was good at playing the part of a gentleman. Meanwhile, Corbet could only wave and smile halfheartedly. His mind had already drifted to the familiar list of things he and Avenir had gone over thus far. Begrudgingly, he went down his checklist of problem areas to see if they were still relevant.

Corbet’s right skate wobbled, and his breath hitched suddenly. His mind was drawn abruptly out of his pensive state. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. All familiar beats whenever he had close calls. He opened his eyes slowly and then looked up to Ruari, wondering if he noticed at all. Ruari turned his head just as Corbet looked. His charming smile waned a little, leaving him looking just plain ol’ content.

        “Something the matter?” Ruari asked.

        “No,” Corbet started. Then he quickly amended that with, “Well, actually. I was wondering if you could help me with… something.”

Ruari looked to Corbet expectantly and even gave a nod of his head, silently encouraging Corbet to continue. Corbet went over his lists again, verbally this time, and Ruari listened attentively. As soon as Corbet mentioned his posture, Ruari motioned for Corbet to stop skating. By the same token, it also caused Corbet to stop talking.

        “I can see what they mean about your posture, though,” Ruari began. He moved to stand in front of Corbet. He then moved his left hand over his body in the form of a cross. Corbet’s eyes followed Ruari’s motions. “Forehead, navel, shoulder, shoulder. This is a quick way to see if you’re standing properly. A cross should be upright and straight across.” He then reached out his hands to touch under Corbet’s arms, helping the shorter man stand straighter. “I think it’s that wariness of yours that’s making you slump… I’m surprised that Avenir hasn’t tried making you fall yet or hasn’t at least taught you how.”

        “I guess they were just trying to beat the basics into my head,” Corbet said. 

Someone raced by in a blur of sound, and Corbet looked up to see Aisling’s back. She was laughing and trying to catch up with a dark haired woman. Corbet blinked, briefly stunned by the speed the two were going. It was a moment before he looked back to Ruari, who was smiling at him knowingly. The smile faded quickly, and a pensive expression took Ruari’s features instead. He tapped his cheek thoughtfully and shifted a foot back. Corbet waited in the silence, but he couldn’t help but think about how expressive Ruari’s face was. He was handsome in different strokes; he could be smiling with the force of a thousand suns one moment, and then he could look breathtakingly studious the next.

Somehow, Corbet felt Ruari wasn’t exactly the ‘studious’ type.

        “Want to try?”

        Corbet snapped to attention then. “What?” 

        “Want to try falling? I would shove you or anything, but I think if you get used to the idea of it, you’ll get over your fear.”

        “H…” Corbet started to speak and trailed off for a moment. He shook his head before trying again. “How’re we going to do that?”

        “Well.” Ruari paused. He reached out to take Corbet’s wrists. “I’m not asking you to trust me wholeheartedly, but rest assured that I won’t embarrass you in front of anyone.”

        “‘Well,’” Corbet imitated, this time punctuating it with a dramatically heavy sigh. “You’ve already picked me up  _ once _ out of nowhere, so I can imagine how confident you are in yourself. At least this time, you’re giving me warning.”

        Ruari laughed – did he sound the slightest bit sheepish? “Did I ever apologise for that?”

        “You did, but…” Corbet shifted his hands to hook onto Ruari’s wrists as well. He shook his head dismissively. “It’s fine.”

He started at his hands. He was glad he remembered to wear gloves today. Sometimes, he forgot. Okay, a  _ lot _ of times he forgot, but he was glad  _ today _ was the one day he managed to remember. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. As he relaxed, he felt Ruari tug on his arms, and then they were moving again. Corbet looked up to Ruari.

        “What are we doing?” Corbet asked.

        “Nothing right now. Just gliding.” Ruari’s lips twitched up in a smile. “I’ll warn you before I drop you.”

        Corbet snorted and rolled his eyes. “ _ Thanks _ , Ruari.”

The redhead chuckled, and they picked up speed. It wasn’t enough to be alarming, but it still sent a pang of anticipation through Corbet. He couldn’t imagine hitting the ice even at this speed. He clung tighter to Ruari and felt himself lean forward instinctively. Without thinking of it, he was already staring down cautiously at their skates.

        “Posture,” came the gentle reminder. 

Corbet nodded his head. He couldn’t physically make the cross over his body, but as he straightened himself up, he tried to be mindful of how he was standing. He moved his skates almost mechanically whereas Ruari moved with great ease borne of innumerable hours of practice. Corbet’s nervousness rendered him novice by comparison or at least even more so. Corbet frowned deeply and looked up to Ruari defiantly.

        “I’m ready,” he said, lying though erring on the side of bravery.

        “You sure?”

        “Yeah.”

        Ruari met his gaze and then nodded. “Bend your knees.” When Corbet did, he added, “And sink down. Go slow. I’ll hold you up.”

Well, this was going to look its own shade of ridiculous, now wasn’t it? But Corbet didn’t look around, he only kept his gaze on Ruari. He tried to hammer home  _ Don’t drop me _ through the intensity of his gaze. Finally, he started lowering down to the ground. As he felt himself squatting, Ruari began slowing down until they weren’t moving anymore. More people skated by. Corbet still didn’t look.

        “You’re fine; you’re fine,” Ruari assured. Finally, Corbet was squatted down completely, and Ruari took a couple of steps forward. “Now, lie down.”

        “It’s freezing.”

        “That’s the rub,” Ruari said with a slight tilt of his head. “Now…”

He trailed off, and Corbet took it as a sign to follow along. He took in another calming breath and began straightening out his legs. This was foolish. He told himself over and over that he would have to fall. It was inevitable, he  _ knew it _ , but allowing himself onto the ice like this was… Honestly, it was beyond even his understand. His weight began shifting downward, and Ruari leaned over to help Corbet down. “I got you,” he said calmly. Corbet nodded to acknowledge that he heard but said nothing. Centimeters separated the entirety of his body from the ice, but he felt as if he was falling into the abyss. This was stupid; he should feel stupid. And yet…

The cold came closer. He could feel it creeping through each layer of his clothes like icy fingers searching for purpose, trying to pierce through fabric and bone down to the very essence of soul. He bit his lip as his back came in contact with the ice. Further down he went, and his hair pillowed against the back of his head. His ears burned from the frost. He could feel Ruari’s hands on his wrists, grounding him to the rest of the world. 

Corbet looked up to Ruari himself, who watched him closely. He was a strange man. He was so careful, oh so careful. He was treating Corbet as if he was made of glass, just as if he was something precious. It felt as if he was tenderly lying Corbet down for the night upon a bed of ice. It was all so bizarre how careful Ruari was with him. It was… new territory in a way that felt intimate. It was embarrassing to think. What was more embarrassing, perhaps, was that Corbet couldn’t help but wonder if the eyes he looked up to were orange and not gold. What would he be able to discern from Avenir in this domain of frost?

Before any satisfying conclusion could be reached, Ruari pulled Corbet up to his feet. Corbet pressed himself to Ruari immediately, determined to steal whatever warmth the redhead had to offer. Ruari rubbed his hands roughly against Corbet’s back. “Warm up, warm up!” he joked with a hearty laugh. Corbet could feel the noise reverberate through his very body. Warmth followed as Ruari commanded. Corbet just happened to feel it on his face first before it spread through to the rest of him.

        “A little faster now,” Ruari said. “Little by little, you need to get used to the speed of falling.”

        "You’re going to seriously drop me, aren’t you?” Corbet groaned against Ruari’s chest.

        “I wouldn’t be that cruel.”

        “That’s what they say. First, you butter me up with kindness, and then  _ wham _ , I’m on the floor.” 

        “‘They?’” Ruari asked playfully as Corbet began pulling me away. “Comparing me to Avenir?” he asked as he followed.

        A scoff. “You’re a different beast altogether.”

They repeated the lowering method at different speeds. Even with Ruari holding onto him, Corbet felt apprehension thread through his body each time he touched the ice. At one point, he looked over to the side to see if the others were watching. They threw curious glances. Most of them were smiling, but out of all of them, Corbet just happened to lock gazes with Aisling. Corbet felt a bit embarrassed. It was time to stop.

Ruari pulled Corbet up one final time, and they embraced– for warmth, of course. “That’s enough,” Corbet said, his voice shivering as he sapped Ruari’s body heat. Ruari nodded and rubbed his hands over Corbet’s body. After a minute, Ruari coaxed Corbet to pull away. He guided Corbet to the gate; Corbet immediately stepped off and went straight for the gated fireplace. They talked a little about something other than ice skating. Mundane, inconsequential things. It was nice. 

When they were both warmed up, they headed back to the ice. Corbet felt… a bit more confident. He thought…  _ hesitantly _ . He laughed at himself. His skates slid over the ice, and he looked down at his boots, feeling, for once, like they belonged on his feet.

        “What’re you thinking about?” Ruari asked curiously, tilting his body left and right as he skated in an S pattern beside Corbet. 

        “Nothing much,” Corbet said thoughtfully.

He looked over to Ruari and then, in a daring moment, he spun around so that he was skating backwards. Ruari smiled at him and then laughed a little. He nodded his head in silent approval. Corbet leaned forward steadily. He looked over his shoulder as he came around a bend in the rink. He opened his arms out for balance, and his fingers brushed against the glass panes along the wall. Ruari skated along his side, watching closely but not saying anything.

        “I wouldn’t, you know,” he began. “Falling seems to genuinely bother you, so I’d prefer to introduce you to it as…”

        “…gently as possible?” Corbet teased. And then, absolutely and completely without thinking, he said, “If you’re like this when we’re skating, I wonder how you are as a lover.”

He laughed at his own joke. He looked over to Ruari with a genial smile, but the smile he received in return was sultry and charming. That… wasn’t quite the reaction he was expecting. Corbet’s smile waned as his mind clicked into place. His eyes widened slowly, his lips parting in realisation.

Did he just say… 

“I— what I meant was…” Corbet stammered, trying and failing to correct his mistake. In doing so, he made another mistake. One that was infinitely worse than the first. He tried to stop suddenly on his skates and wobbled dangerously. For once, he was unable to catch himself and started to slide backwards. He gasped. It was all he could do as the world passed in a wave around him. 

Seconds passed between him falling and him making peace with the icy pain that awaited him. However, instead of colliding with the ice, he suddenly felt a warm body against his. Ruari moved quickly and sealed the distance between them. He lowered down to one knee to safely catch both of their weights. The concern on his face was another facet of his attractiveness. It would have been breathtaking, if the fact that Corbet actually fell hadn’t taken center stage.

He hadn’t hit the ice still, but this was the closest he had come to it since he started skating. His heart was beating out of control. Corbet blinked rapidly when a hand touched his cheek. He reached up to grab Ruari by the wrist. 

        “Ruari…” Corbet said softly as if in a daze.

        “Corbet. Are you okay?”

        Corbet turned his head, feeling and looking more like a doll than a person. “I fell.”

        Ruari’s shoulders were tense with worry. After Corbet said that, his shoulders slackened slightly. He gave a weak smile. “You did. I caught you.”

        “That was terrible.”

        “At least you didn’t hit the ice.”

Corbet closed his eyes and turned his head away. His temples were throbbing; a tension headache was building between his eyes. “Barely,” he mumbled half-heartedly. That was a bit too close for comfort. 

Skates cut over the ice. Corbet moved his hand from Ruari’s wrist. He rubbed over the bridge of his nose where he felt the headache building. Well, this skating session turned eventful.

        “Is he okay?” A new voice. Aisling. Corbet wasn’t surprised.

        Ruari sighed. “Yeah. I think he’s just a bit shell shocked.”

        “He should probably get off the ice. It probably won’t do him much good.”

        “Yeah. You’re right.”

Corbet finally opened his eyes. He did so slowly. Aisling was staring down at him. When their eyes met this time, her lips quirked up in a tiny smile. Corbet felt the want to return it, but he was still coming down from his fear high.

        “You okay?”

        “Thanks to my hero here,” Corbet said dryly.

Aisling laughed gently. It was unlike the first time he heard it;  it was softer, laced with kind worry, but still pleasant. 

        “Did you… see that?” he asked.

        “I saw Ruari catch you and decided to see what was going on.”

Aisling knelt down and placed a hand on Corbet’s head. Her palm covered his right temple, and the tips of her fingers grazed his cheek. Corbet blinked slowly as he stared up at her. 

        “Can you stand?” Aisling asked softly.

        Corbet blinked again as if suddenly aware of the world around him. “Think I can.”

        Aisling nodded and then looked to Ruari. “You heard ‘im,” she said with a smile.

        “Up and at ‘em then,” Ruari joked as he gathered Corbet up. 

It took a bit of maneuvering, but soon, Corbet was standing upright. Aisling came to her feet as well. She stayed long enough to make sure Corbet was okay. Afterward, she smiled warmly at him before skating over towards her group once again.

        “Are you still okay to skate?” Ruari asked, rubbing his hands over Corbet’s arms to warm him up.

        Corbet nodded. “Since I’ve  _ kind of _ fallen and you more or less gave me an icy baptism before, I guess the only thing to do now is to just move on, right?”

        Ruari chuckled. He pat Corbet on the back. “You’re right. So, what’s the next thing to review in your lessons?”

        “Gliding,” Corbet said with a heavy sigh. He tugged Ruari’s arm, silently encouraging the taller male to start skating again. “Avenir wants me to get better at gliding.”


End file.
